Army: Urgent measures needed to stabilize Ukraine

Ukraine's army urged President Viktor Yanukovych to take urgent measures to stabilize the country, which has been rocked by two months of anti-government protests.

The armed forces regards as "unacceptable" the forcible occupation of state institutions, and the "obstacles preventing representatives of state and local governments from fulfilling their duties," the Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.

"The escalation of the confrontations threatens the country's territorial integrity," it added in the message to the commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, who is on sick leave due to "an acute respiratory disease accompanied by high fever."

This week, Ukraine's Parliament passed an amnesty bill for dozens of protesters detained during disturbances in Kiev and other cities.

But that law, which Yanukovych signed on Friday, has been rejected by the opposition because it does not take effect unless protesters vacate all the administrative buildings they have occupied since the mass protests began in November.

The opposition says the release of more than 100 detained protesters should be unconditional.

The anti-government protests, which had been mostly peaceful until last week, began in Ukraine in late November when the government backed away from plans to ink a free-trade deal with the European Union.

Yanukovych later secured a $15 billion aid package from Russia and negotiated a deal to enable Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, to purchase natural gas from its neighbor at a steep discount.

Amid the growing pro-Europe demonstrations in downtown Kiev, Ukraine's Parliament, controlled by Yanukovych's allies, passed a package of laws on Jan. 16 restricting freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and other basic rights.

Anger over the anti-protest legislation spilled over into clashes three days later in Kiev pitting demonstrators demanding Yanukovych's resignation against riot police. At least three people were killed and hundreds of others were wounded in the street battles.

Authorities and opposition leaders agreed to a truce on Jan. 23.

During subsequent talks, the opposition has secured most of its objectives - including the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and the repeal of the anti-protest laws - though the government has so far rejected its call to move up the next presidential election, which is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2015.

On Friday, thousands of demonstrators were continuing to occupy Kiev's Independence Square to press their demands. EFE